


The League is Not a Place for Love

by orphan_account



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 00:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 23,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4284438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Been wondering for a while how Sara and Nyssa got together because I'm sure the League is not a place conducive to relationships. Thought I'd give it a go. Follows canon. Starts when Nyssa finds Sara and I have no clue how far it is going to run yet. Spoilers warning for season 2 flashbacks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Found Her

When Nyssa was sent to the North China Sea to assassinate one of China’s top businessmen while he was on a his yacht, she had anticipated almost every possibility. It was the mark of a good assassin to have contingency plans for any eventuality. One of the few possibilities she had not prepared for was a young, blonde woman climbing aboard the small fishing vessel she had used to get near the yacht.

The job itself had gone off without a hitch. She and three of her men had climbed aboard the yacht, leaving the small fishing boat they had used to approach it tied to the anchor line. They had killed everyone on board easily, but when they had returned to the boat, they had been startled to find a young woman curled up there, though whether she was asleep or passed out it was hard to tell. She was soaked and had clearly been drifting for a while. Nyssa’s men looked at her for orders.

“Take us back to shore,” she ordered. Two men picked up an oar and started to row back to shore with strong strokes.

“Wake her.” She said to the man who was not rowing. He leaned over and shook her shoulder. And then shook it harder. He took of his glove and slipped his hand against her throat, to check her pulse.

“She is alive, but her pulse is weak and uneven. I do not think she will wake without medical attention,” he said. “Her body temperature is very low.” He slipped off his jacket and laid it over her to keep her warm.

Nyssa growled. She did not need this right now. Looking at the young woman, she contemplated throwing her back overboard, but, though Nyssa was born and raised an assassin, she was not so cold hearted as to be able to just leave her to die. She turned to her men.

“We have come across an unforeseen obstacle. What do you advise we do with her?”

The man who had put his coat over her said, “I do not believe we should simply leave her to die…”

“Then, what? Do we take her to a hospital? None of us has the appropriate attire for such things and we cannot take unnecessary risks.”

“I agree we cannot take her to the hospital, but now that she is onboard, we cannot simply kill her. She is innocent as far as we know and killing her in cold blood would be against the League’s way,” one of the men rowing said.

“The League has always been willing to kill innocents if it meant protecting the League. A few sacrifices here and there must be made in order for us to continue what we do, saving many more lives than we take. Her presence endangers the League,” Nyssa replied.

“We could take her to Nanda Parbat,” he replied. Everyone in the boat froze for a second.

“What?” Nyssa said, “No one other than those in the League may enter Nanda Parbat.”

“Then let her join the League.”

“It is not that simple. Once we take her there it will not longer be her choice. She will be forced to join. No one is forced to join the League. Doing so would go against many of the rules my father put in place. One is either born into the League as I was or one comes searching for it and joins willingly, as you did.”

Silence followed her statement and finally, the man who had put his coat over her said, “She is obviously lost. The wounds on her arms and legs are old, at least five months if not longer. She is not a girl who simply got lost at sea a couple days ago, she has been floating for a long while and who knows what she has gone through. All I can say is that she must be just as lost and scared as I was when I first joined the League. It is the only way without killing her.”

Nyssa bowed her head and thought for a second, then she looked back at the young girl and sighed. The girl looked so small curled up under the man's coat and so fragile. Would she even be able to survive the League? On the other hand, if she had survived for so long, maybe she was stronger than she looked. Without thinking, Nyssa reached over and brushed a hair that had fallen into the girl’s face. She sat back and looked at her men.

“It's settled then. We take her.”


	2. Starving, Alone, Terrified

Sara woke up slowly. She felt like she was floating, and she wondered if her memory of climbing onto a small boat was just a dream and she was still out at sea. She was about to start sobbing when she realized that she was dry. For the first time since the Amazo had exploded, she was completely dry. She wondered what day it was and how long it had been since then. She wondered where she was but a part of her also didn’t want to know for a little bit longer.

Sara wanted to believe that she was finally safe. That she would be able to get home and that the whole nightmare would be over. But she knew her luck and so, for just a second, she wanted to let her eyes stay closed to maintain the illusion. She started to wiggle her toes and her fingers. Then, working her way up, her ankles and her wrists and stopped immediately. They ached to move. She tried to move the rest of her body and was only able to shift slightly before the pain in her muscles convinced her to lie still again. God, she was sore. She wondered how long she’d been lying in that bed, allowing her muscles to grow so tight. Moving much more slowly this time, Sara pulled her arms up from under the soft blankets and, grunting through the pain that shot through her muscles, she pushed herself up into a sitting positing.

“You really shouldn’t be trying to move so much,” an unfamiliar voice said. Sara almost screamed but instead brought her hands over her head, trying to protect herself.

“I will not harm you,” the voice said. It was soft and female with an accent that sounded vaguely British. Sara opened her eyes and standing at the end of the bed was a beautiful young woman, about her age. Sara did not lower her hands from her head but moved them enough so that she could see the woman move. She considered her chances at getting away but knew just from trying to move that her muscles were too weak and she would not get far.

“You have been asleep for three days,” the woman said. “It is good you woke up. Much longer and you might have slipped into a coma.”

Sara opened her mouth to speak but felt only the pain of a very dehydrated throat. She coughed and it felt like her throat was being clawed by a multitude of cats. The woman, seemingly having anticipated this, was already handing her a glass of water. Sara eyed her distrustfully. The woman looked back at her and for a second Sara thought she might force her to drink, but instead the woman placed the glass on the bedside table and walked back so that she was standing at the foot of the bed again.

Taking care of her sore muscles, Sara reached out slowly and took the glass. The woman’s eyes did not leave her as she took slow and steady sips from the glass. Each sip burned her throat but as the cool liquid passed into her throat it was immediately soothed.

“Thank you,” Sara was able to croak out once she had made it half way through the glass.

“Do not thank me yet,” the woman replied. “You still do not know your situation.”

Sara felt what little color there might have been in her cheeks drain out. She knew it. She fucking knew it. There was no way she could ever be so lucky as to land somewhere good. She felt herself start trembling.

“Where am I?” she whispered.

“You are in Nanda Parbat. It is a small place in the mountains that houses the League of Assassins.”

Sara almost dropped the cup she was holding. Oh god, oh god. She had suffered through two shipwrecks, a crazy scientist, and a fucking mental case on steroids. Of course she would meet assassins next. The trembling got worse and Sara put the cup down so that she could bring her hands up to her head again. She had learned with Ivo and his men that she should protect her head first and then worry about the rest.

“What?” was all she was able to get out.

“The League of Assassins. We have existed for over a thousand years. Our purpose is to replace evil with death and to rid the world of its worst evils.”

Sara felt tears begin to fall down her face.

“Please, please, please. Just let me go home. That’s all I ask. I just want to go home. Please,” Sara begged, knowing already that it was useless.

The woman looked at Sara with a look that might have been pity or regret, she wasn’t sure.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot.”

Sara wished that she had not started crying. That was the other rule. If they saw you crying it made it worse. They knew you were weak if you started crying and they saw that they were strong.

“Why not?”

“We brought you here to save your life but no one who enters Nanda Parbat may leave unless they have pledged their allegiance to the League and have undergone the necessary training to become a member.”

“A member? Of your League of Assassins? I can go home if I pledge? I’ll pledge. I’ll pledge right now and I’ll never tell anyone about you just please, please let me go.”

The woman was shaking her head before Sara even finished.

“No, once you pledge your allegiance, Nanda Parbat will become your home. You will no longer be whoever you are now and you will take on a new name. The League will become your life.”

Sara swallowed. She looked into the woman’s eyes and realized how cold they were, how devoid of emotion and even connection. Sara may as well have been a mannequin for all she knew. She may as well be dead.

“And if I don’t want to join the League?”

“You have been in our home, you have seen my face and you know what we do. We cannot let you go out into the world and we cannot have you simply wandering around our halls with no purpose. If you do not accept the League’s offer, you will be killed.”

Sara felt a chill run down her spine. It was the first time she had heard a life threat issued so calmly. On the Amazo and with Slade, her life had been threatened many times but in those instances it was with anger or fear or some other emotion behind the voice. This woman had just told her she would die like she was offering Sara a cigarette.

“Please, is there no other way? Can’t you drug me and take me someplace else or something? I don’t even know what country we’re in and I don’t know your name and I swear I won’t tell anyone about the Leauge. I mean, no one at home would believe me anyway,” Sara begged. But she could see that it would make no difference.

“No. You have heard your two options you will choose one. You have until tonight. Choose wisely.”

With that ominous note, the woman turned on heel and started to leave the room.

“Wait!!” Sara cried out. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe she didn’t want to be alone. On the other hand this woman was an assassin. She shook her head, trying to clear the tears from her eyes and voice. “What’s your name?”

The woman turned slightly and with a small smirk on her lips, the most emotion Sara had seen on her face since she woke up, “I am Nyssa.”


	3. You've Never Approved

Nyssa stood in front of her father.

“The woman has woken father. I have presented her with her choices.”

Her father turned to look at her, his eyes stern.

“It was folly to bring her here, Nyssa. I hope you realize that.”

“I do father, but I felt there was no other choice.”

“You could have killed her.”

“In cold blood father? She is an innocent as far as we know. My men confirmed my decision.”

“Yes, well. Regardless of why you chose to bring her back, you have. She is dangerous Nyssa to us.”

“She can hardly stand.”

“Maybe not now, but soon she will be able to. Do you know why I generally don’t force people to join the League? Usually they are either born into it or they come of their own accord. Do you understand why?”

“Someone who has been forced to join the League as opposed to coming of their own volition is likely to be less faithful to the League and betray us and you.”

“Ah, good to see you still have your wits, daughter.” Nyssa had to control her face so that it would not flinch as his tone. He was disappointed. Nyssa hated disappointing her father. But more than that she feared it. “You already know which choice she will make, yes?”

“She has survived through much. It is hard to believe that anyone who has fought so hard would choose death.”

“Yes, well know that regardless of what she chooses she is your responsibility. If she chooses death, you will give it and if she chooses to join the League, you will train her and her actions will reflect on you.”

Nyssa swallowed slightly. She knew why her father was doing this. Part of it was simply that he cared about the League and putting his best assassin in charge of a major liability was simply good defense. But she also knew it was punishment. Though her father may have understood her motivation, it did not undermine the fact that she had brought a liability into Nanda Parbet. While she was training the girl, she would most likely not be able to go out on missions as often and if the girl misstepped, it would reflect on her skills as a teacher and as an member of the League.

“I understand father,” she said, acknowledging both his words and the underlying meaning. If the girl betrayed them, Nyssa would pay the cost.

All of a sudden, Nyssa found herself wishing against odds that the young woman would choose death.


	4. There's Only One Way That You Leave The League

It had just gotten dark when Nyssa came into Sara’s room.

“Have you chosen yet?” Nyssa asked.

“Not really much of a choice is there?” Sara snapped back. She had been afraid, but now she was mostly angry. She had spent all day thinking and thinking knowing all the time what her final decision would be, which had only left her frustrated. Plus, she could barely move with the pain in her muscles, but her harsh tone did not surprise or affect Nyssa in any way.

“So what is your choice?” Nyssa asked smoothly, quietly.

“I’ll join the League” Sara said, feeling like she was signing her life away to the devil. It felt final somehow and Sara felt goosebumps rise up on her skin.

“Alright. Sleep tonight and rest tomorrow. We bring training in two days,” Nyssa said.

Sara shook her head, “I can barely move and you want me to train?”

“I suppose your training will being with teaching you how to walk,” Nyssa said.

“Please can’t we just wait a little longer?” Sara asked carefully. She did not know how the woman would react.

Nyssa’s face changed all of a sudden to something very near rage. She stepped close to Sara staring straight into her eyes.

“Listen to me.”

Sara tried to squirm away from Nyssa and put a little distance between them in case she needed to protect herself but Nyssa grabbed her arms to hold her steady. Sara started crying, she couldn’t help it, but Nyssa just ignored her and contined talking.

“My father is not pleased that I brought you here alive. He has made you my responsibility which means that everything you do wrong is something that I did wrong in his eyes. I have worked very hard to earn his respect and my father is not the kind of man you want to disappoint. If you embarrass, me I may decide that you are no longer worth the effort and get rid of you. You think that coming here saved you, but you have only entered another kind of hell. You can either get up and fight to survive or you can choose to die right here and now. I don’t know what happened to you before, but do not make the mistake of believing that just because you have a bed and food this will not be hardest thing you have ever had to do.”

Finally, Nyssa let her go and looked at her for a second. Sara knew that she must make a pretty pathetic sight with her arms curled above her head and small whimpering sounds coming out of her body. Nyssa turned on heel and stormed out of the room and as soon as the door slammed behind her, Sara stopped holding back her sobs. She cried fully and deeply.

She cried for her father, and her mother, and her sister, wondering if she’d ever see them again. Somehow it felt more hopeless now than when she had been stranded on the island. She cried for Oliver wishing that she had died with him. She even cried for Shado who she didn’t know that well, but who she knew she hadn’t wanted to die. Finally, she cried for herself, hoping that she could get all of her tears out of her system because she had the sneaking suspicion that if she cried during training it would only makes things worse.


	5. Alone and Adrift

Two days later, Nyssa woke before the sun as usual and slipped out of bed, getting dressed quickly. She dreaded today, wondering how the young woman would fare in training. She doubted the girl's strength and, more importantly, her resolve to train. Her father was right. Forcing people to join the League was a bad idea. Only the truly desperate searched out the League and had the resolve to complete the training.

Nyssa made her way to the sick bay where the young woman was healing. The sun was just starting to poke out over the horizon as Nyssa entered the room. She walked over and shook her shoulder. With a quiet shout, the young woman sat up and grabbed Nyssa’s wrist with a speed and strength that surprised her. Maybe she wasn’t as hopeless as Nyssa had thought.

“S—sorry,” the young woman said, releasing Nyssa’s wrist. “I thought you were…” She let whatever she was going to say hang silently in the room for a second. 

“Get up. We start training now.”

The young woman nodded and slowly, with slow and cautious movements she rose from the bed. She pushed off the bed so that she was standing. Her legs wobbled slightly but she remained standing. She looked up at Nyssa.

“First things first. You should get clean. The bathrooms are at the end of the hall. Here are towels and a change of clothes. Be back in fifteen minutes, no more.”

The young woman looked at her with surprise.

“Fifteen minutes?”

“You should be able to shower and change in even less time but I am giving you a little extra due to your depleted strength. Our kind does not have time to linger doing such mundane things. While not every shower you take will be under duress, there will be many that are and you must know how to shower quickly. So go. If you are late, there will be repercussions.”

Nyssa watched the girl mull over her words for half a second before deciding she was serious and disappearing down the hall. Watching her move told Nyssa that it would take a lot of physical therapy before she would be able to move her joints smoothly. She had spent far too long in that bed after arduous days on the water. Her muscles had lost much of their elasticity. Not to mention the fact that she was still recovering from dehydration and starvation. She was eating only a portion of what a healthy female her age was supposed to eat since the doctors were afraid of overloading her system with too much. Without the usual amount of food, she would get tired quickly.

Nyssa sighed. While this woman would not be the first person she trained, she would certainly pose the biggest challenge. Most of the people that came to her were desperate to learn and usually they were in fair, if not peak, physical condition. She would have to change around how she trained the young woman while at the same time showing her what training for the League meant. Which was why, if the young woman was not back within the next five minutes, Nyssa would not hold back from punishing her.


	6. They Remade Me Into What I Am

Sara wanted to lounge in the baths forever. The room she had entered had one large pool full of steaming water. It was obviously a communal bath, but she was the only one there. She wondered if people usually bathed in the evening or if she was up earlier than everyone else. She slipped out of her clothes and placed them on the edge of the pool and slipped in. The heat had immediately soothed her her tight muscles and she sighed. She considered taking more than fifteen minutes, but remembering the woman’s cold eyes she decided that it probably wasn’t worth it.

Quickly, she scrubbed every crevice on her body. Looking around she was able to locate a bottle labeled shampoo and lathered it in her hair, relishing the feel of the suds as they foamed. But she knew she had to hurry. She’d never been a good judge of time but she didn’t think she had more than five minutes left. She quickly rinsed her hair and climbed out of the baths. The towel that she had been given was coarse but it soaked up the water well and in seconds she was completely dry. She reached for the clothes and found a simple pair underwear and a sports bra. The pants and shirt were loose and thin making them flexible and breathable. All of it was black.

Sara realized that this was the first time she felt entirely clean since the gambit had gone down. It was a miracle how much it helped her fear to just feel clean again. She grabbed her dirty clothes and rushed, as quickly as her aching muscles would carry her, back to her room where Nyssa stood waiting. For a second, Sara thought she might be late, but Nyssa simply nodded at her.

“Leave your clothes here. They will be burned.”

Sara nodded but looked at the clothes sadly as she dropped them on the bed. Somehow she felt like they were her last connection to the real world.

“Let’s go,” Nyssa said, turning on heel and walking swiftly out of the room. Sara followed struggling to keep up on her sore muscles. They walked through winding corridors and Sara was lost after the third turn. Nyssa, on the other hand, seemed to know the temple like the back of her hand, never pausing to consider whether the passage that looked identical to all the other to Sara’s eyes was the correct one.

Finally, they arrived at a small room. Nyssa opened the door and stepped inside, holding the door for Sara to follow. The room was obviously a small training room. The ground had a mat that looked worn from use and the walls were lined with a myriad of weapons, many of which Sara could not name for the life of her. Nyssa gestured to the center of the mat.

“Sit.” Sara hesitated for half a second. She wasn’t even sure why she did but it was enough for Nyssa to give her a sharp glare. “Now.”

Sara gulped. She wondered if Nyssa was this cold with everyone or if she hated her or something. She moved the middle of the mat and sat down.

“Extend your legs forward so that they are flat on the ground.”

Sara did not hesitate this time, though her hamstrings screamed in protest. Nyssa approached and much more gently than Sara would have anticipated she put pressure to Sara’s back so that she started to lean forward stretching her legs. Sara gasped in pain but Nyssa did not stop or pull back at all.

“Breathe into the stretch. It will make the pain subside a little.”

Sara took a deep breath and found that Nyssa had been telling the truth. She breathed again and this time as she exhaled Nyssa pushed in a little more. Sara stopped herself from gasping and kept her breath as steady as she could. After three more breaths Nyssa backed off. Sara immediately pulled her knees up to her chest to give them a break. Nyssa allowed her a second and then told her to place them back on the mat.

Slowly, for the next couple hours Nyssa directed Sara through stretching all of her muscles. It was a painful process that left Sara exhausted but every so often Nyssa would tell her to stand up and just walk around the room a couple of times and Sara had to admit that each time it was easier. By the end of the process, she could walk around the room with almost no pain at all.

Nyssa just watched her. Sara could not read her expression at all. That scared her. She had never been able to accurately gauge Ivo either. Throughout the two hours they had spent together, Nyssa had not spoken except to give short instructions. Sara noticed with a start that she had never even asked Sara to introduced herself. She wondered why and considered just telling her but decided against it. If Nyssa wanted to know, she’d have to ask.

“Come,” Nyssa said and walked out of the room. Despite her newly flexible muscles, Sara still struggled to keep up with Nyssa’s brisk pace. Again she followed her through a labyrinth of hallways until they reached a large open chamber. In this chamber, there were a few other people dressed in the same simple uniform as Sara eating quietly, each alone at a tables. At the end of the room, Sara spotted a buffet table covered in food. Her stomach gave what sounded to Sara like a surprised growl as if it hadn’t realized how hungry it was till that moment.

“Here is where the trainees eat and it is where you will take all your meals from now on,” Nyssa said to Sara. “You have twenty minute to eat. I have something I must do. When I return you must be done, your plates cleared and everything.”

“W-wait… you’re leaving?” Sara asked and immediately regretted it, shying away from Nyssa’s cold glare.

“You are not a child and I will not be here to babysit you every second of the day. I have something I must do and you will be fine alone for twenty minutes I am sure.”

Nyssa didn’t wait for Sara to show that she understood before turning on heel and stalking out of the room. Sara stood, rooted in place for half a second. She looked around the room and saw the other trainees stare at her and then quickly drop her eyes. Shaking her head, trying to pull herself together, Sara made her way to the buffet table. Behind the table was a stout old woman who said something in a language Sara did not understand.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re saying,” Sara said.

The old woman just nodded and grinned a little. She gestured for Sara to pick up a plate. Sara did and the woman started giving her food. Sara didn’t know what half of it was but it smelled good and she was really hungry. She had to stop the woman from piling her plate high with food. She still could not eat a full meal of food yet. She supposed that it would take a few more days or maybe even weeks before her appetite was back to normal.

As Sara made her way to an empty table, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. She didn’t fit in with these people. She wasn’t strong or athletic. Other than the few self defense courses she had taken at her father’s insistence, she had never been trained in anything. When she’d been on the island with Oliver she had been amazed at how he’d learned to fight under Shado and Slade’s instruction but she had not been trained by Ivo’s men.

For a second, she froze. Oliver. Shado. Slade. She’d been so focused on herself and where she was that she hadn’t thought about what had happened back on the Amazo. They were all dead. For a second she thought she would break down and cry. But the image of Nyssa’s cold eyes and unforgiving glare unexpectedly gave her strength. Knowing that her fearsome teacher would return soon, Sara started eating.

When she finished her food, she cleared her plate to one of the bins that held dirty plates and sat at the table closest to the door waiting for Nyssa and tried to think of anything other than what she had gone through. Luckily, Nyssa walked through the door less than half a minute later so Sara’s mind wasn’t given the chance to drift. For a second Sara thought she saw an emotion, maybe sadness or anger on Nyssa’s face, but it was gone in before she could even really identify it. Instead, Nyssa’s usual cold, severe expression returned to her face.


	7. I Don't Want To Die

As the young woman punched the dummy over and over again with a frustrating lack of force, Nyssa thought about the conversation she’d just had with her father. While the girl had been eating she had gone to her father’s chamber to speak with him as he had requested.

“You have commenced the young girl’s training?”

“Yes, Father. It will be slow progress. I do not know what she suffered through but her body has been damaged a lot. Some of it is from physical injuries, but she was also starving and dehydrated when we found her and just weak overall. It will take a while before she is at full capacity.”

Her father looked at her sternly but nodded.

“Well, she is your waif. And she is your responsibility until she pledges herself to the League. Which you know I will not allow her to do until she will be an asset to us. So if you want to get back to your regular missions, you’d better hurry it up.”

Nyssa frowned slightly.

“Father, I can still do missions as I train her. It is not uncommon for people to go on missions when they are training people and leave their trainees either in the hands of other or on their own once they know enough to train on their own.”

Ra’s Al Ghul’s face did not change but, to Nyssa, that was more than enough to warn her that she was on treacherous ground.

“You will not burden anyone else with this young girl and I do not trust her enough to be left alone. You will stay here and keep watch over her until she pledges.”

Nyssa swallowed and resisted the urge to shout at her father and yell, like a child, that it wasn’t fair. She had just been trying to do what was right and her men had advised her the same. But speaking out would only increase her punishment.

“I understand father.”

“Nyssa. You may not be able to see it yet, but there are potential repercussions for what you’ve done. I will not let it go unpunished.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Good. You may go now.”

Nyssa had bowed to her father and left but the anger and resentment was still seething in her mind.

Now in the training room, she was starting to see that if she could not get the girl to focus, she would never go on a mission again. She walked over to the young girl and brusquely adjusted her back foot’s position.

“How many time must I tell you? Use your hips when you punch. It’s where the power comes from.”

The young woman looked at her and nodded but it was clear she was becoming frustrated. Nyssa shook her head. After such little time. Suddenly, the young girl turned and swung a nearly perfect punch at Nyssa, which Nyssa, of course, dodged easily.

“What the hell!! Don’t just stand there shaking your head as if you’re disappointed. I just started and I am trying. You’ve had me punching this dummy for almost an hour. My wrist and hand hurt and I’m tired! Did you forget that I just woke up two days ago?”

Nyssa just looked at her, her eyebrows raised.

“Don’t just stand there!! Say something!”

Nyssa wasn’t sure what it was, but looking at this young woman saying she was tired with so much fire in her eyes and voice gave Nyssa the urge to smile. And she did. And somehow that tipped the young woman over the edge. She was suddenly throwing punches blindly and angrily. While defending herself Nyssa distantly realized that the young woman, though lashing out at her, was not angry at her. Her anger was directed to something else. Nyssa at first just blocked the punches, hoping to give the young woman a chance to calm down but it soon became apparent that, despite her claims of being exhausted, she would keep going for a while. Nyssa switched tactics and blocked a punch, and quickly and smoothly kicked the legs out from the young woman. She climbed onto her back and pinned her arms down behind her. The young woman struggled for a second but was smart enough to realize that she would not be able to free herself.

In a voice that Nyssa thought was altogether too calm and too hollow, the young woman said, “Please let me go. I am sorry for how I acted out. I will continue with the exercise.”

Nyssa considered holding her there for a little longer just to make sure the girl understood, but then she felt her trembling underneath her. The young woman was actually terrified. Nyssa stood up and stepped away. Moving slowly and stretching her shoulders the young woman stood up and Nyssa was completely surprised to see tears streaming steadily down the girl’s face. Her voice had not revealed that she was crying but there was no missing the glisten on her cheeks and in her eyes. The girl went back to punching the back, her position fixed and her punches much steadier and stronger. All the anger that she had directed at Nyssa for that one second was being direct to the dummy. Nyssa moved so that she would be in the girl’s line of sight and made sure she could see her as she slowly nodded her approval.


	8. Tell My Family I Died On The Gambit

Nyssa had guided Sara back to the trainee dining hall and Sara was now eating her second meal of the day as the sun started to sink below the horizon. This time Nyssa had given her forty five minutes to eat and had gone off to eat in her own dining room somewhere. Sara was actually a little irritated that she had so long to eat. Forty-five minutes was much longer than she needed to eat the small amount of food she had been given and she didn’t need the extra time for thinking. But she couldn’t help the thoughts that flooded her head.

She had snapped earlier. The emotions that had welled up during her last meal had only festered as she had punched the dummy. She admitted that her heart had not been into it. When Nyssa had first explained how to stand and how to position her hand she had not really listened and every time that Nyssa had corrected her, she had felt like she was back to her old self before the Gambit. She’d felt like she was back to her old self in the worst of ways. Useless Sara. Party girl Sara. Shallow Sara. As if she hadn’t been through so much. As if she hadn’t changed. When Nyssa had shook her head, her expression full of disappointment, Sara had felt her blood boil and she hadn’t been able to stop herself.

And then Nyssa had smiled… no, smirked… It was the same way Laurel had used to smirk and those other girls in college when she didn’t know the answer or when she hooked up with another guy who would never stay with her. She had wanted to yell “I’ve changed!!! I’ve been through so much!!! You don’t even know!!!” But she hadn’t been able to find the words so instead she had used her fists. But Nyssa had knocked her down so easily, so competently, managing to do it not only without getting herself punched but also without injuring Sara.

Sara had realized in that moment what she was up against. In that moment, pinned on the mat, Nyssa holding her down, Sara had realized how much danger she was in. This woman could kill her in an instant and she had swung a punch at her. You’d have thought that after all that time she would have learned to to piss off dangerous people but it seemed she couldn’t stop. But she had also realized that this woman, cold and strong as she was, had not killed her or even harmed her. Despite her mad flailing, Nyssa had managed to bring her down without injuring her in the slightest. Somehow, that had been extremely comforting. 

For the rest of the afternoon, Sara had focused on directing her anger and her fear into the dummy. After punching, they had moved on to kicks which had been hard since the motion was so foreign to her but by the end of the afternoon she had felt at least somewhat competent. When Nyssa had helped her stretch at the end of the day, her gentle hands on Sara’s back had almost made tears stream down her face again.

Now as she ate, Ollie’s face drifted in and out of her mind. Maybe everything she had gone through was her punishment for fucking her sister’s boyfriend. Her last act as sister had been a horrible betrayal. Laurel would never forgive her. But if only she knew all the other things that Sara had done, screwing her boyfriend would hardly sound like the worst thing Laurel could hate her for. The people she had tortured on the Amazo and the people she had just stood by as they had been killed. God, she wished the worst thing she had ever done was steal her sister’s boyfriend. She finished eating her food and wondered how much time she still had before Nyssa showed up. There were no clocks and Sara had always been thoroughly dependent on her phone to get her anywhere on time. She supposed that would have to change. She didn’t want to just sit there waiting, but she also didn’t know how to get anywhere and she was afraid of getting lost in the winding halls and piss off Nyssa.

She looked around the room scoping out the other trainees. She wondered how they had gotten there. Had they also been found like she had? Nyssa had made it seem like she was a special case. So where did they come from? Their ages varied from about her age to people who looked to be in their mid or late forties. They were mostly male but she saw a couple of women among them. She wondered what they had gone through. Had they all suffered as she had? More? Less? Each of their faces was drawn as she imagined hers was and none of them spoke to each other. They looked lonely and lost. Sara wondered, not for the last time, if this was the life she was going to be subject to.


	9. Just Waiting to Die

When Nyssa walked back into the trainee dining room, the young woman was just sitting at a table staring intently at one of the other trainees. The trainee seemed to have noticed and kept glancing up as if to try to figure out what the blond trainee wanted with him. ’She’s going to get herself killed’ Nyssa thought and quickly made her way across the room.

It quickly became clear that the woman’s mind was very far from the dining room since she did not react to Nyssa’s approach at all. Despite the blueness of her eyes and the color returning to her cheeks, the young woman’s face carried a deep sadness that now seemed to be pouring out into and aura around her. Nyssa had planned to just take her back to her room and leave her there for the night, but looking at her now, she knew that they could not continue in this manner. If the young woman was to succeed, Nyssa would have to make her leave behind her past so as to be able to focus on the present.

“Come,” she said as gently as she could but the young woman still jumped and Nyssa could see in her eyes as she fought back the fear that had leapt to the front of her mind.

Nyssa led her back to her room and, once they had entered, gestured to the bed. It was clear that the young woman did not know what was going to happen and looked nervous. Did Nyssa really instill such fear in her? She thought she had been fairly kind. The young woman must have gone through a lot to have lost so much trust. Nyssa closed her eyes and let out a breath.

“What is your name?” she asked. She hadn’t felt the need to know before, but if they were going to have this conversation, she would need to be able to call her something. The question seemed to startle the young woman but she answered.

“Sara. Sara Lance.”

“Where are you from?”

“Uh, Starling City.”

“How did you get here?”

At this question the young woman, Sara, sighed and shook her head a little. Nyssa thought for a second she wouldn’t answer but just as Nyssa was about to ask her again a little more harshly, she began to speak.

“My sister’s boyfriend, he was rich, and well, he was going on a trip with his dad. And Ollie he, uh, well, Laurel, my sister, had just asked him to move in with her and he wasn’t really the kind of guy for commitment. I mean, I think he got scared. Anyway, he asked me to come along and I had been into him for a really long time so I said yes. It was a horrible thing to do. But he was charming and good-looking and I was pissed at Laurel. Anyway, there was a storm and the boat went down.”

“So that is how you ended up floating around the North China Sea and ended up in my boat.”

Sara shook her head. Tears were starting to slide down her cheeks but her voice was steady. Nyssa wondered at this ability. It was like she had spent a long time learning how to conceal her sadness.

“I drifted for a while on a piece of the wreck and then I was picked up by this boat. It was called the Amazo and it belong to a man called Dr. Anthony Ivo. He was a scientist and he said he wanted to save the human race. He was looking for this drug that he called Mirakuru. It means miracle in Japanese. It was supposed to be this miracle drug that could cure anything and would give the person using it superior strength, reflexes, and healing abilities. Stem cell and genetic therapy, decades ahead of their time. Anyway, I was with Ivo for almost a year. He was kind to me. At least kinder than any of the other men on the ship. I helped him with his science experiments doing horrible things.”

Nyssa almost asked what sort of things but Sara’s expression stopped her.

“We went to Lian Yu and island in the North China Sea where a Japanese sub that was supposed to carry the drug had drifted. We thought the island was deserted but one day the ship picked up this guy on the island. and I was sent to question him to find out what he knew and it turned out to be Ollie. Ivo sent us and a few men to the island to get the drug and when we got there Oliver and these two friends he had made on the island helped us escape. We made it to the submarine. One of Ollie’s friends, Slade, he was badly burned from an explosion and they were going to try to use the Mirakuru to save him. You’re only supposed to take the drug if you have a sedative in his blood stream but we didn’t have any and we thought he was going to die. We gave it to him anyway because he was going to die anyway and we thought he died. His heart stopped and Ivo’s men made it to the sub. So we left him, we did’t have a choice. Ivo’s men caught us. He got me and one of Ollie’s friends, a woman, Shado who he was clearly involved with.”

Sara’s voice cracked for the first time.

“Ivo told Oliver to choose between me and Shado. And Ollie… Ollie, he chose me, and Ivo shot…”

Sara pause for a second to catch her breath.

“Ivo shot Shado in the head. We thought we were all going to die but then Slade, well, he wasn’t dead but he was strong. The Mirakuru had worked and he came and saved us and wanted to kill Ivo for killing Shado. But he was able to get back to the ship. We were going to help him get to ship so that he could get revenge and we could go home but the Mirakuru… it makes you stronger, yes, and faster, and it helps you heal quicker but it also messes with your head. We made it to the ship and we released the other prisoners but we really didn’t need to . Slade, he was so angry but he took down everyone in his path so easily. Like crushing bugs. And then he got to Ivo and Ivo told him. He told Slade that he shot Shado but it was Oliver who chose me over Shado and Slade lost it. He wanted to kill Ollie. There was a fight between Slade and us and the other prisoners on the ship and I managed to swim ashore with some of the other prisoners. There’s a lot of other stuff that happened in between but long story short, we got back on the ship and Ollie he had a plan to blow it up with the submarine. Take everyone down, you know. Kill Slade and get rid of the Mirakuru and then escape back to the island and hope another ship would come our way. It worked mostly except he didn’t make it off the ship.”

Sara was now shaking all over, trying to keep her sobs in.

“I floated around for, I don’t know how many days until I saw your boat and I kind of remember climbing aboard and well, you know the rest.”

Silence fell between them. Nyssa did not know what to say to that story. She was not sure what she had expected but it had not been that. She wasn’t even sure she could bring herself to believe all of it. Magic serums and mad scientists seemed slightly out of Nyssa’s normal range of expertise. Sara had been through many painful experiences, some that would probably have made life long members of the League flinch.

“Take off your clothes,” Nyssa ordered.

Sara looked at her with surprise and suddenly her face was filled with terror.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, take off your clothes,” Nyssa replied.

“Why?”

Nyssa looked at her in frustration.

“I am not in the habit of explaining myself.”

Though she had not meant it to be, her tone must have been quite sharp because Sara started undressing immediately, though reluctantly. She kept her arms crossed over her body, as if trying to protect herself from Nyssa's eyes.  Nyssa saw small scars all over the girl’s body but none of them were deep. Many looked like they had been nail marks left by someone who was gripping her too tightly. Around her wrists were lines like bracelets where she might have been handcuffed.

“Put your clothes back on,” Nyssa told her. Sara just stared at her in surprise as if she had been expecting Nyssa to do more. Nyssa for the first time wondered how a woman alone had done on a ship full of men. Immediately, she regretted telling Sara to take off her clothes.

Though Sara did not have many physical scars, the physiological scars would most likely be lasting.

Once Sara dressed again and sat on the bed, Nyssa walked forward and sat next to her.

“How do you feel now?” she asked.

Sara seemed surprised that Nyssa would have asked that question.

“I… I don’t know,” Sara said, sounding defeated. “When I ended up on your boat I expected to die. I didn’t really want to live anymore, I just didn’t want to die in the water where it was so cold, you know? I didn’t expect to be saved and I’m not even sure I wanted to be. And you’ve brought me here and you’ve given me a chance and I feel like I have to take it. Like it would be a waste of good luck or fate if I let myself die now, but I don’t really have anything to live for anymore. Ollie’s dead and my family… I can’t go back. Laurel probably hates me, with good reason and the things I’ve done, to those men on that ship. God, I did such terrible things. I don’t think I could face them anymore. I’m not worth your time. I’m just a weak little girl who you should’ve just let die, and —.”

Nyssa pulled Sara into her arms. The poor girl was bordering on hysteria and needed to be calmed down. Sara for a moment froze completely and Nyssa wondered if she had made the complete wrong move but a second later Sara relaxed and started to sob. Awkwardly and not quite sure how to play her role, Nyssa petted the girl’s hair and whispered calming words into her ear. It was a full half an hour before her sobs subsided to hiccups. Nyssa pulled back and handed her a glass of water.

“You’ll get dehydrated again if you keep letting all that water out.”

Sara choked out a half-laugh half-sob before taking a sip from her water.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “It’s just been so much that I don’t really know what to do anymore.”

All of a sudden Nyssa knew what she had to do to get the girl on her side and to work hard. She grabbed Sara gently by the arms and turned her so that they were eye to eye.

“Listen to me, Sara Lance. A weak and useless little girl would not have survived all of that. She would have given up and died much sooner than you. But I understand why you feel the way you do and I know you might still have some doubts about the League but I can guarantee one thing. We can make you strong. Not just physically, though that is a large part of it, but we can also make you strong mentally. We can teach you how to be better, but it will not be easy. Do you think you can do it?”

Nyssa almost smiled in satisfaction as she saw Sara’s eyes blue eyes harden with determination.

“Yes, I do.”

“Good,” Nyssa said. “In that case, rest now. We start same time tomorrow morning.”


	10. Face Your Death With Honor (or at least dignity)

The next morning, Sara woke up to Nyssa shaking her. It was much easier this morning to slide out of bed and into her clothes. Nyssa handed her an apple and told her to eat while they walked. This time, Sara paid attention to how to get from her room to the training room. She was fairly certain she could make it back on her own.

Again, they started the day with stretching. It took much less time for Sara to get almost to her normal mobility and with her new found motivation, Sara felt ready to do more punching and kicking. Unfortunately, it seemed that that was not in the cards for her.

“Today, we will build up your strength,” Nyssa declared.

And so they did. Nyssa had made her do everything from push-ups to sit-ups to hand stands and lunges. Sometimes the exercises had seemed more like intense yoga other times she felt like she was body building. By the end of the day, Sara felt like all the stretching she had done had been for nothing. As she sat by herself eating dinner, Sara didn’t think about Ollie or the island but instead about her aching muscles. She was sure that she would not be able to move the next day but she didn’t mind. She already felt stronger.

For the next week and a half, her days continued the same way. Nyssa would wake her at the break of dawn and hand her a piece of fruit to keep her going until lunch. They would stretch and each day it got easier and she could stretch farther. Then they would either do strength, skills, or endurance training. Sara learned to punch and to kick but also to climb and jump and flip and to defend herself. She started to become what she had always thought was impossible in movies and comic books.

Finally, after a week and a half, Nyssa deemed her ready to spar. Of course, Sara knew that she could not beat the woman. Though she had not seen her fight, it was clear from the way she moved and carried herself that she was no slouch.

“You have enough of the basics down to at least hold your own a little in a fight. Right now, we will spar so as to give you a chance to practice those moves in a fight. Today you will not only be practicing those moves but also learning how to think in a fight. There is no one telling you what to do, which block to use or which punch. That is up to you to figure out,” Nyssa said, looking Sara in the eye with the steady expression that Sara had come to almost depend on. Nyssa walked towards the edge of the room and started unbuckling her armor till she too had stripped down to a basic pants and shirt.

“This fight will also teach you how to take hits. No matter how good you are, you will get hit from time to time and at your skill level you will most likely to be hit often. It takes an opponent half a second of you being doubled over in pain to stab you in the back. You need to learn to control the pain, harness it, and work through it. Do you understand?”

Sara looked at her. She was almost sure she did and so she nodded.

“Well, then. Let us begin.”

They two women faced each other on the mat. Sara locked eyes with Nyssa and blocked Nyssa’s first punch only to receive one clipping her under the chin. Sara fell back and in an instant Nyssa had her pinned.

“Dead,” Nyssa said and then let her up.

Again they faced each other. Again Nyssa threw the first punch. Instead of blocking it, Sara ducked under it and brought her arm up to defend against the kick that Nyssa threw at her. She moved in to hit Nyssa but was easily blocked. Nyssa used her closeness to send a knee to the smaller woman’s stomach and again Sara ended up on the floor with Nyssa pinning her down.

“Dead.”

They stood and fought again. Sara hardly got to throw a punch or a kick all afternoon. She spent most of her time blocking and blocking and blocking and each time she ended up on the floor or in a hold with an imaginary knife at her throat. The word “Dead” echoed through her ears. Her frustration was building but she did her best to push it down as much as she could. By now she knew Nyssa, and knew that her methods, though intense, were usually in her best interests. She had improved mightily during that week and a half. She had done her first pull up and an aerial flip and could throw a clean punch. She was stronger than she’d ever been before and she could feel it even doing such simple things as eating.

But that thinking only got her so far. Again Sara and Nyssa stood face to face. Sara was drenched in sweat, Nyssa was barely breathing harder than usual. Again Nyssa started. Sara dodged the punch only to get a kick to the back of her knee that brought her to the floor.

“Dead,” Nyssa said.

“Enough!” Sara shouted back. “How the hell am I supposed to learn to spar if I can’t get a single hit in? I get it, okay? You’re better than me. You’ve been training your whole life. I haven’t and I won’t learn if you keep pushing me to the ground.”

Nyssa let go immediately and allowed Sara to stand. She looked Sara in the eye. “Again.” She said.

Sara shook her head. “No, I’m too tired. You’ve been beating me mercilessly since the beginning of the day.”

Nyssa snorted. “Mercilessly?” she said in a tone of voice that made Sara cringe. In a movement that was too fast for Sara to follow, Nyssa had covered the distance between them and grabbed her arm flipping her to the ground. Sara landed hard and all the air was knocked out of her. She thought she had taken some hits that day, but it was nothing compared to that. She felt like she might puke if she ever got her breath back. Then, she felt the cool, thin edge of a real knife blade at her throat and all her thoughts about breathing and puking vanished. She had gone too far. Even Nyssa had a limit and she had just broken it. She was going to die.

“I have been very merciful Sara. If I had not been, you would not have blocked a single one of my hits and you would be in much more pain. I am trying to teach you something important here and that is that you are not that skilled yet.”

Sara squirmed, hoping against hope that she could get free and get away.

“Yes, I had seen it in your face. You’ve been growing more confident, believing that you have improved so much. You have improved some and I admit I am impressed and pleased at your progress but do not go thinking that you have even half a chance of beating me. It will be quite a few more years before you reach that level. Do you understand? There is no one in Nanda Partbat that you will be able to defeat. You are still the newest trainee. Every single one of them would wipe the floor with you. Do you understand the position you are in?”

Sara let her words sink in. For the first time, she really understood where she was and what she was doing. She was living among assassins and training to become one. With such a name as the League of Assassins she had let herself believe that they were just a gimmick. But she understood now as Nyssa pinned her to the ground with a knife at her throat that Nyssa could kill her and it would not affect her life either way. It was something Nyssa was used to. It was something every other person that she was around was used to. They would not hesitate to kill her.

“Part of being strong is knowing when others are stronger than you. You must not only have the strength to fight, but also the strength to know when you are beat. A form of strength is physical, yes, winning fights. But there is another form of strength that comes from losing with strength. Not giving up, standing up each time you fall or are knocked down even if you know it is hopeless. That is also strength.”

Sara let Nyssa’s words wash over her and all at once felt extremely embarrassed at her out burst.

“I understand,” she said and as soon as she did the knife was gone and Nyssa’s weight had come away from her back.

“Again.”


	11. You Saved Me

After they finished sparring, they went their separate ways to dinner. Sara no longer needed Nyssa to guide her to the hall where the trainees ate. But that night after dinner, Nyssa went to Sara’s room. She found the young woman sitting on her bed, looking at the bruises she had accumulated on her arms and legs and abdomen.

“You are moving to another room,” she said.

Sara jumped, startled.

“Nyssa, I didn’t see you there.”

Nyssa sighed.

“You really need to become more mindful of your surroundings.”

“Yeah, I’ll work on that. What do you mean moving?” Sara asked.

“This room is in the sick bay. We kept you here while you were recovering but seeing as you are fully recovered now, you should move out. The nurse staff does not need the burden of caring for a healthy person as well as the ill.”

“They have not been caring for me. I don’t think I’ve seen any of them.”

Nyssa raised her eyebrows.

“Who do you think makes your bed every morning and cleans your clothes after you leave them lying unceremoniously on the floor?”

Sara opened her mouth and then shut it with a snap.

“I admit I had not thought about it.”

“Come. Gather all your things. I trust you don’t have many. I will show you were your new living quarters will be.”

“Uh, right yeah. Just give me a sec,” Sara said. She pulled open all her drawers and pulled out her clothes. They were all the same. Black, loose training uniforms. She also grabbed her towel, the toothbrush that Nyssa had given her and a few other toiletries she would need. She could carry it all in one armload.

“Well, I guess this is all my stuff,” Sara said. Nyssa nodded and lead her to the trainee quarters. She gestured to the first room in the hall and Sara stepped in. It was small, just as Nyssa remembered from her time as a trainee, but it was sufficient. After all, Sara would not be spending much time there.

“The bathrooms are just down the hall,” Nyssa said.

Sara nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Well, I will be here same time tomorrow morning. Be sure to bathe well and really stretch your muscles,” Nyssa said and turned on heel.

“Wait, please,” Sara said so quietly that Nyssa wasn’t sure she had heard it but when she turned, Sara was looking at her with wide blue eyes.

“Yes?” Nyssa said.

Sara all at once became flustered. She turned and put her things on her bed and then turned back to Nyssa.

“I, uh, I just wanted to say thank you,” Sara said. “I feel like I maybe haven’t been quite grateful enough. You have been so great and so kind to me. You’re helping me be strong and you didn’t let me die and I just needed you to know that I am grateful. For everything.”

Nyssa stared at the girl in front of her. In the meager candlelight of Sara’s room, her hair seemed to glow and her eyes seem to twinkle.

“You do not need to thank me,” Nyssa said, unsure of what to do with the gratitude she had been given.

Sara shook her head.

“I do though. You saved my life. In more ways than one and I’m not sure that I will ever be able to repay you. And don’t think I don’t know that you are sacrificing a lot for me. I’m pretty sure you have things you would much rather be doing than training me day in day out. I won’t ask why because I’m not sure you’ll tell me and I’m not sure it’s my business but I do have to thank you.”

Nyssa looked at Sara. She was right, of course. Being forced to train Sara and not go on missions had been a punishment. Nyssa wondered for a second when it had stopped feeling like one.

“You are welcome, Sara Lance,” she said and as she did she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. This girl was nothing like Nyssa expected.


	12. Apprenticeship or Execution

About a month later, they were sparring again. Sara had just blocked a kick that Nyssa had sent her way and was en route to retaliating with one of her own when someone entered the room, effectively destroying her concentration. Nyssa took full advantage of the opening and sent her sprawling. She didn’t even bother pinning Sara down when she said, “Dead.”

“You should not lose your concentration so easily,” she warned.

Sara growled and stood as Nyssa made her way over to the man. He said something to her quietly and Nyssa nodded.

“Come, Sara,” Nyssa said. The words were not so different from what Nyssa said to her every day at the end of training time, but it was not the end of training and Nyssa had a strange expression on her face.

“Where? What’s going on?” Sara asked cautiously. She had learned early on not to ask too many questions. Nyssa usually had a reason for doing things and Sara had learned that she would learn what it was soon enough. Also, Nyssa usually snapped at her.

This time she did not snap. Instead, she simply said.

“To see my father.”

Sara had spent enough time with Nyssa to be able to hear how her voice changed when she said that.

“Your father?”

“Yes. Ra’s Al Ghul. He is the head of the League of Assassins.”

"Oh, okay. Not scary at all then."

Nyssa stopped and turned so suddenly that Sara almost ran into her.

“Listen to me Sara. My father is a very powerful and very dangerous man. You must not offend or disobey him. Show him only the highest levels of respect because if he decided that he wants to kill you, there is no one who can protect you.”

Sara felt her blood run cold. Nyssa spoke with fear in her voice and Sara knew that if something scared Nyssa, it should terrify her.

“Why now?” she asked. “I’ve been here for a month and a half? What changed?”

Nyssa shook her head looking sad.

“The decision to enter the League is not one sided. You chose to enter but he still has to decide whether or not to allow you to enter. Today he will weigh whether or not he believe you are fit to be in the League or if you should be executed instead.”

“WHAT?” Sara said. She knew she should be feeling more scared but instead she just felt angry. She had survived the Gambit and the Amazo and Lian Yu and then floating at sea and then she had survived the last month and a half of grueling training. She would not die now.

“Sara, we must go. Arriving late with not increase your chances of survival.”

Sara nodded, exhaling sharply through her nose.

“Got it.”

Nyssa lead Sara to a part of the temple that she had never been in before. As they got closer everything seemed to get bigger. The halls were wider and the roofs higher. Even the doors of the rooms they passed seemed thicker and heavier than the ones in the trainee areas. But Sara knew immediately which door lead to Ra’s Al Ghul’s chamber. It was two times the size of the average person and five times as wide. The wood was a warm color somewhere between red and brown and it looked like it had stood there for centuries. While the door was not particularly ornate, it did give off a feeling of wealth and strength.

As they approached the door, two guards drew it open and Sara saw him standing in the middle of the room, his back to them. The rest of the room was mostly bare other than a large pool of water opposite the door. Sara didn’t have time to wonder what it was as Ra’s turned to face her.

For half a second her guard dropped. He did not seem like a bad guy. In fact, his face was much kinder than she had expected but then she looked into his eyes and saw nothing. They were just black. She had thought that Nyssa's eyes were cold and empty, but they practically sparkled compared to her father's.

“Hello, child,” he said.

“My Lord,” Sara said, realizing that she was not sure how to address him or whether she should bow or something. He didn’t smite her where she stood so she supposed she was doing fine.

“I apologize for having taken so long to welcome you into my home. Nyssa has told me that you are improving at an exceptional rate. Has she explained to you why I have brought you before me now?”

“Yes, my lord, she has.”

“And what did she tell you?”

“She said that you were going to decide whether I was to continue training here or die,” Sara said. She was amazed at how steady her voice was staying.

Ra’s Al Ghul did not say anything. He simply looked at Sara. Suddenly, the room was flooded with warriors. Some jumped in from the windows or the doors, others seemingly fell from the ceiling. Each of them wore the same black uniform and each of them had a weapon in hand that they pointed at her. Sara forced herself not to move or to panic.

“Have you decided to kill me then?” Sara said.

Ra’s Al Ghul raised his hand and at the same time, every single assassins surrounding Sara lunged at the same time. She closed her eyes waiting to die but instead she felt only the sting of a few blades as they grazed her skin. She opened her eyes mostly in surprise and found herself in a net of spears and swords. Each blade was held a millimeter away from her skin or even pressed directly against it. In the places where she had no clothes to shield her like her neck and hands and cheek, the blades had made small cuts that she could feel slowly starting to drip with blood.

She would never be able to say what made her laugh at that moment. Maybe it was sheer terror or maybe it was relief when she realized that it was a test and she was not actually dead. Whatever it was, she could not stop herself from letting a bubbly giggle escape her throat.

Ra’s Al Ghul raised his eyebrows at her and waved his hand, signaling his men to back off. As they retreated, Sara looked Ra’s in the eyes.

“Why did you laugh child?”

“For a group that prides themselves in fighting and killing, you’re also exceptional at missing,” Sara said.

Ra’s Al Ghul’s eyes narrowed and for a second Sara thought she had said the wrong thing.

“Sara Lance, you will continue your training with Nyssa until she feels that you are capable of joining the League. At that time, you will be tested and if you pass, you will pledge your allegiance to us. Understood?”

“Yes, my lord,” Sara said.

“Dismissed,” Ra’s said, turning away from her.

Sara glanced at Nyssa who just looked at her with a strange expression on her face.


	13. That Was The Moment

As Nyssa rushed out of her father’s throne room, she could feel Sara rushing after her, trying to keep up. Nyssa was not sure why but she felt like running away from the golden haired girl.

“Nyssa, wait up,” the girl said, grabbing her arm.

For half an instant, Nyssa considered grabbing the girl and punishing her as she would any other person who touched her without her permission. For some reason she was angry but she could not say why. Instead she just pulled her arm out of the young woman’s grasp. Hurt flitted across Sara’s face, immediately making Nyssa wish she could take it back, but it was gone almost as quickly as it came.

“So I guess I did okay in there,” Sara said, “Seeing as I am not dead.”

Nyssa sighed. Sometimes Sara seemed to be terrified of her own shadow and other times she seemed to have no fear of anything at all.

“Does he do that to every person he initiates?” Sara asked.

“Yes. The purpose of it is to test the resolve of whoever he is initiating. Those that shout or scream or beg for mercy are not deemed fit to join the League. Those who stand firm and who accept their death with dignity or those who attempt to fight back, not matter how hopeless, they are usually allowed into the League. You are the first person to laugh.”

Sara laughed nervously and all of a sudden Nyssa felt warmth flood into her chest. She had experienced the same thing when Sara had laughed in her father’s throne room. Nyssa wondered at the feeling. All she knew was that she wanted to hear Sara laugh again.

“Yeah, I’m not sure why I did that. I am very lucky not to be dead right now, aren’t I?” Sara said.

“Yes, you are,” Nyssa said. “Well, now that you have been officially accepted as a trainee, we will up your training regimen. We will start dealing with weapons and you will have to start learning more languages.”

“Languages why?” Sara asked.

“When you are an assassin, you will not only be given jobs in the United States or other english speaking countries. You must learn more languages so that you can at least function in those other countries. We will start with Arabic because that is the language most spoken within the League. Then, we will learn Mandarin next.”

“Arabic and Mandarin. How many languages do you speak?”

Nyssa looked at Sara.

“Ten.”

Sara’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit! That’s a lot of languages.”

A grin spread across Sara’s face.

“That’s really impressive Nyssa.”

For some reason, Nyssa felt the blood rush to her face at the praise. She turned her head away as they entered the training room.

“It is normal for me.”


	14. Not Much of A Fighter

After the meeting with Ra’s Al Ghul, the training did take a new turn. The morning after, Nyssa had thrown Sara a pair of wooden sticks.

“These are called Escrima Sticks. We will begin training with them now.”

Nyssa walked her through the movements of how to block, how to attack, how to weave the sticks across each other. That night she came back to her room covered in bruises from the short sticks but Nyssa assured her that she was progressing well.

It took a while for Sara to warm up to using weapons. It was strange, at first, to have to rely on something that was not a part of her body, but once she got used to it, she began to feel the advantage that the weapons gave her in a fight. Nyssa too seemed to prefer weapons to hand-to-hand. Watching her move with the Escrima sticks was mesmerizing. Sara wondered if she would ever get to be as graceful and beautifully dangerous as Nyssa was. She suspected not.

Another change was that she was now allowed to train with the other trainees. Every so often Nyssa would arrange for a sparring session.

“While sparring with me is helping you improve, it would be even more instructive for you to spar with people of closer skill levels so that neither of you is holding back.”

These sparring sessions were both Sara’s favorite and least favorite part of the week. On the one hand, Nyssa had been right. Fighting with people closer to her skill level was much less frustrating and it allowed her to read her opponents better. Nyssa rarely left openings and when she did, it was on purpose to see if Sara would catch and use them to her advantage. The trainees provided Sara with a lot more opportunities to practice seeing and using those advantages. These fights always lasted longer than the ones with Nyssa did.

On the other hand, even the other trainees had more experience than she did and Sara was beginning to learn that, despite the numerous bruises she had sustained, Nyssa had always been gentle with her. The other trainees were not. They did not hold back their punches or their kicks and after a sparring session with another trainee she was always left bleeding and gasping for breath.

But Sara could feel herself improving. Every time she sparred with them she could see better. She was starting to be able to predict their movements and she was seeing more openings. She was also developing a tolerance to pain. She remembered a time when getting kicked in the ribs would have been enough to send her to the ground, gasping, but now, she could fight through it.

Then one day, Sara finally won a match. The fight had been going on for nearly fifteen minutes. Sara was exhausted and she could feel her form slipping with every punch she threw, but her opponent was also tired and he was also making more and more mistakes. Mustering the last of her strength, Sara prepared for an all or nothing attack. If it didn’t work, she would be left too tired to defend herself anymore and she would lose, but she hoped the sudden speed would throw her opponent off.

And it did. Sara ran forward, quickly. Her opponent backed off, backpedaling to get his footing back. At that moment it was all decided. Sara kicked him in the knee and he went down. In an instant she was on top of him, ready to punch him in the face.

“Sara is the winner,” the other trainees teacher said and Sara stood up. She helped pull her opponent up and shook his hand.

“Well fought, Sara. I trust we will spar again soon,” he said and Sara smiled up at him and nodded.

“You too, Hamil.”

Sara walked over to Nyssa and grinned at her.

“We will be studying Arabic now. Come.”

As Nyssa turned on heel and walked out of the room, Sara’s heart dropped. She hadn’t expected Nyssa to jump for joy or anything but a little recognition would have been nice.

“Hey Nyssa,” she said, running to catch up, “I finally won.”

“Yes, I saw.”

“Come on, Nyssa. I did good right?”

Nyssa looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Your final attack was done in desperation. While you may have technically won the match, you did not defeat him. You were both defeated by your own bodies.”

Sara stopped walking and Nyssa stopped as well, turning back to look at her.

“How hard is it for you to say good job? Huh? I have worked my ass off to get where I am. I know I’m not as good as you. I know that I am still the weakest person in this compound but I just won my first fight, Nyssa. I won. And yeah, maybe it was because the fight took forever and we were both exhausted, but honestly, the fact that I was able to hold on as long as I did was pretty impressive.”

Nyssa just stared at Sara. Her expression seemed filled with disappointment. Sara knew that she should not have burst out as she did. But, was it so difficult to just say one word of praise? She just wanted Nyssa to acknowledge that she had accomplished something and that the weeks of training she had been doing weren't for nothing. Sara could feel her body trembling with anger and a little bit of humiliation. She did not think she could stand being around Nyssa much longer.

“You know Nyssa," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady, "I think I will be studying my Arabic alone. I will learn the words and phrases from this chapter by heart and you can quiz me tomorrow, but I think I’m going to do it alone.”

Without letting Nyssa say anything, Sara stalked off in the direction of the library.


	15. I Took Sara Into My Heart

Nyssa sat in her room, trying to read. It was the first time in a while that she had an hour of her own time but she could not focus.

Why had she been against telling Sara that she had done well? It was impossible to deny that the woman had done incredibly well. Her progress had been much faster than Nyssa had anticipated and the fact that she had won against another trainee who had been there for double the time that she had was an incredible feat. It didn’t matter that her final attack had been one of desperation. In life and death fights, the reason for fighting didn’t matter in the end. What mattered was that Sara had won.

When Nyssa had started pitting Sara against the other trainees, she never thought that Sara would win a match in a matter of weeks. She and Hamil had been perfectly matched for the entire fight and, while watching, Nyssa had been proud. Why was that so hard to admit?

“Because,” Nyssa thought, “It wasn’t just pride. You felt something else. Something you don’t know how to explain and it scares you. You, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul and Heir to the Demon, you are scared.”

Closing her eyes, Nyssa pictured Sara’s disappointed face after Nyssa had not acknowledged her win. That face quickly morphed into the angry and defiant Sara that had left her standing flabbergasted in the hallway. And that face morphed into Sara’s laughing face. Nyssa had only seen it a handful of times as there weren’t many opportunities for laughter within the League but the few times she had, it had filled her with a rush of something.

Despite everything she had been through, Sara smiled widely and openly. It was like a light had been turned on and here eyes glowed and sparkled and color flooded into her cheeks. It was when Nyssa found her most beautiful.

A sudden knock on her door, snapped her out of her reverie.

“Who is it?” she snapped.

“Nyssa, it’s me,” an all too familiar voice said.

Immediately, Nyssa regretted snapping. She did not want Sara to think she was upset with her. She softened her voice as much as she could.

“Come in,” she said.

Sara opened the door cautiously. In her hand, she was holding a few leafs of parchment paper.

“I did this chapter’s exercises, if you want to look them over,” Sara said, holding out the pieces of paper.

Nyssa took them from her. She was not sure what to say to fix what had happened earlier.

“I will.”

Sara turned to leave and Nyssa felt her heart sink. How was she supposed to fix this? She did not know how to explain her behavior to Sara.

Suddenly Sara turned, her expression so sad and apologetic that Nyssa almost pulled her into her arms right there.

“Look Nyssa, I’m really sorry about earlier. I was still amped up on adrenaline and you were right. I could probably have won the fight more cleanly and I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. It is not your job to coddle me and give me praise if I don’t deserve it. My reaction was immature. I am sorry,” Sara said.

Nyssa stared at her with a slightly open mouth.

“Are you going to say anything?” Sara said, and Nyssa could hear the frustration building in her voice again. Quickly Nyssa shook her head and stepped over grabbing both of Sara’s arms and looking her directly in the eyes.

“You do not have to apologize Sara. While your reaction was little immature,” Sara make an irritated sound with her mouth, “it was not unwarranted. You are correct in saying that I will not give you praise where none is due, but what you accomplished today was worthy of praise. I can see that you have worked hard and winning today’s fight was a huge step forward. Hamil has twice the experience you do and yet you were able to match him blow for blow for an entire fight. That is no small achievement. You did a good job.”

Sara’s entire face lit up with that smile that Nyssa held so dear and Nyssa’s heart stopped for a short second. All she wanted at that precise moment was to kiss her and to make that smile her own.

And that realization was enough for her to let go of Sara and take a step back.

“Uh, you should rest up for tomorrow. And be sure to stretch again before you sleep,” Nyssa said awkwardly, turning away from Sara to hide the blush that she knew was creeping into her face.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Sara said cheerfully.

As soon as Nyssa heard the door close she slid down onto her bed. Suddenly, every feeling she’d had since her father meeting Sara became clear. She was in love with the beautiful, golden girl. The weight of that realization kept Nyssa up most of the night.


	16. I Wasn't Trying to Be A Bitch

The next morning, Sara woke up just before the sun. She no longer needed Nyssa to come to her room and shake her awake. Her body had grown accustomed to the precise sleep schedule. As she stepped off the bed she could feel her muscles screaming. Despite her win the day before, she had taken quite a few painful hits before she’d managed to win. She sighed and rolled her shoulders. She felt good, ready to take on another day. As usual, she met Nyssa in the training room and Nyssa handed her a fruit to start the day.

As they started training, Nyssa running through how to properly swing a sword, Sara couldn’t help but notice that Nyssa was not looking at her. Except for short glances to make sure her form was correct, Nyssa would not look at Sara at all and she most certainly was not making any eye contact. Sara thought that they had patched things up the night before, but maybe things had not gone as well as she’d thought.

Throughout the rest of the day, Nyssa never looked at her and did not say anything to her other than the most basic instructions and corrections. It wasn’t like she usually spoke that often, but her silence seemed more impenetrable than usual. Sara kept trying to catch her eye so that she could at least try to gauge what the other woman was feeling, but Nyssa was very good at not looking. That is, she was good at not looking when Sara could see her, but Sara could have sworn that whenever she looked away to do drills or to run laps, Nyssa’s eyes followed.

By the end of the day, Sara was surprised at how emotionally exhausted she was. The only person she’d had any sort of contact with in the last few months was mad at her, or at least irritated enough that she wouldn’t look at her. Sara felt like she had lost something extremely important.

After a week of being given the cold shoulder by Nyssa, Sara was sitting alone at her dinner table with the intense need to speak to someone. She had felt so lonely but it was unusual for the trainees to talk to each other. Many of them felt like competitors. After all, the only interaction they ever had was sparring which left many of them with wounded bodies and egos. No, out of all of the trainees the only one that Sara would have felt even somewhat comfortable talking to was Hamil because he at least was somewhat her equal. But she knew that he would not want to talk to her, especially so soon after his loss, and she did not want to burden him more than he already was. All the trainees had reasons for being there and Sara suspected that many were worse than hers.

Instead, she walked over to the old woman who served them their food. Other than a few thanks you’s and hello’s Sara had never spoken to her. The woman looked at her in surprise and gestured to Sara’s empty plate. She seemed to be asking if Sara wanted more. Sara just shook her head. The old woman made a shrugging gesture that seemed to say, “If you don’t want food, what then?”

“You speak Arabic?” Sara asked, in broken words.

The woman broke into a large smile.

“Yes.”

“I wanted to ask for advice,” Sara said, struggling to find the words she needed. While her Arabic lessons were going well and Sara could read fairly well, speaking and listening were still difficult for her.

“Hmmm, something is bothering the little yellow bird, yes?”

Sara smiled at the pet name.

“Yes. Nyssa, she’s my… uh…” Sara shook her head and switched to English. “I don’t know the word for trainer.”

The old woman just nodded to say she understood.

“I think she is angry with me,” Sara tried in Arabic.

“Did you do something wrong?”

“Uh, no. I mean, well yes, but I said sorry and I thought we were okay.”

“But she is still mad?”

“I don’t know. She won’t look me in the eyes.”

“You talk to her?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Nyssa… does not like being talked to. She will talk to me when she is ready.”

The old woman smiled and shook her head.

“You can make her ready.”

And with that the woman turned back to her food and left Sara standing there wondering what she meant.


	17. I Loved Her With All My Soul

Again, Nyssa found herself sitting alone in her room trying to read, and again she was not making much progress. With an angry huff she put the book down and stared out the window. Being around Sara was becoming unbearable. Her realization from a week before had not left her mind for a second since it had snuck into her thoughts. Every time she saw Sara, she felt warmth flood into her heart. Every time she was without her, she wondered what Sara was doing. Nyssa was sure that if she had dreams, they would all have been about her.

This all would have been nice and sweet and wonderful if they had been anywhere other than where they were and if Sara had been anyone other than who she was. The League did not discourage relationships within the ranks. Ra’s Al Ghul was aware that relationships outside of the League were ultimately more dangerous than those within and he also knew that he could not prohibit all relationships. Therefore, while having encounters of a sexual nature with someone outside of the League were accepted, and even considered healthy, any lasting relationship outside the League could be punished severely. After all, once entering the League, members were supposed to leave behind all their connections to the rest of the world and devote themselves only to the League.

Ra’s Al Ghul had other reasons for allowing relationships within the League. The first was youth soldiers. Since no one was forced into the League, and children would not come and find it on their own, if the League wanted assassins trained from youth, as Nyssa had been, they needed to be born within League ranks. These children would be cared for by their parents for the first ten years of their lives and then they would be put in a class with other children their age and train with them. This allowed for soldiers who had not only been taught to fight since a young age, making them usually much more competent than others who started later in life, but it also guaranteed loyal soldiers. If these children knew nothing other than the League and had no home other than Nanda Parbat, it was unlikely that they would betray them.

The other reason to allow relationships within the League was much more sinister. It guaranteed Ra’s Al Ghul easy access to his members’ loved ones. Meaning, if someone disobeyed, their lover could be punished in their stead. This made people with wives or husbands or lovers much less likely to disobey.

But even though relationships were not discouraged, the League was still not an easy place for them, particularly for the Heir to the Demon. She knew her father had hoped she would marry a man and have his children but Nyssa had never been interested in that. In order to avoid that fate, she had worked and trained harder than anyone so that despite her gender she would be allowed to be Heir. It had worked. Her father no longer hounded her or made sly comments about her getting married, but she knew that would only last as long as she showed no interest in anyone. And if she showed interest in Sara, someone who could not carry her children, well, she wasn’t sure how her father would react but she was sure it would not be good.

And then there was the issue of Sara. The girl was everything Nyssa wanted to be while simultaneously being everything Nyssa could not be. She was light and cheerful, something the Heir could not afford to be. She was fierce and attentive but also a dreamer. And she laughed. Oh, how beautifully she laughed. But she was also broken in many ways. Nyssa was still learning all the ways that Sara had shattered. When pinned in a fight she was usually fine except when someone grabbed her wrists and then she would kick and scream and shout until they let go. The girl could be intense and focused in a fight, but if given too much time to think, her thoughts would drift to some dark places that would suck her in. Nyssa had learned that when she was like this, the only way to approach her scaring her was head on. You had to move into her line of sight and before talking, put your hands where she could see them.

Nyssa thought Sara was like the ocean: Deep and dark and full of strange and maybe wonderful things. It would be exhilarating and wonderful to be able to explore her and learn all there was to know, but at the same time, there was a deep and primal fear of what she would find.

A knock interrupted Nyssa’s thoughts. She could think of only one person it might be and cursed her mentally.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“It’s Sara,” the voice on the other side said.

“I’m sorry, Sara, but I’m a little busy right now. We can talk tomorrow morning,” Nyssa replied. Being alone with Sara, in her room, at night, was probably not the best course of action.

There was silence on the other side of the door. After a while, Nyssa thought Sara might have listened and left but then she heard her say, quietly.

“Why are you mad at me?”

What? Had Nyssa done such a good job of hiding her love for the girl that she had caused her to think she was angry at her? Nyssa looked at the door in surprise which was followed immediately by extreme regret. The voice on the other side sounded so sad and broken and scared. Nyssa had never wanted to be a cause of sadness in Sara.

“I know we had that little argument last week, but I thought we patched things up. But, I guess I thought wrong and I’ve been trying to figure out all week what I’m supposed to do to make it up to you, but I honestly… I don’t know. So please, please tell me. Whatever it is I’ll do it. Just please, Nyssa, don’t leave me here alone.”

That was enough. Nyssa could not take the sadness in Sara’s voice anymore. She flung the door open, obviously startling the poor girl. Nyssa took a second to compose herself and then said, “Please, come in.”

Sara stepped around her hesitantly.

“I’m sorry for barging in here so late. I know you must be getting ready to sleep or something. I just really needed to talk to you.”

Nyssa chuckled.

“You hardly barged in here. And don’t worry, I always have time for you.”

Now that she was looking at her, Nyssa could see how much Sara looked like a scolded child.

“Uh, so you’re not mad at me?” Sara said.

“No. I am not mad at you.”

“Then, then why have been avoiding me.”

Nyssa looked at Sara in confusion.

“I have been with you all day, as I always am.”

“Yeah, but you won’t look at me. You hardly say anything to me other than ‘Keep your legs father apart’ or ‘Your grip needs to be different’. You’re like avoiding interacting with me as much as possible.”

Nyssa tried to wrap her head around what Sara was saying. She had been afraid that her love would show. She had never considered how hiding it would affect Sara.

“I know that you don’t want to train me, and I’m sorry that you got stuck with me, and I know it’s not your job to coddle me, but I do think it would be a lot more pleasant for both of us if you didn’t just ignore me,” Sara said, ending her phrase on an uptown as if she was afraid that she crossed some boundary and that Nyssa would get pissed off.

“Stuck with you?”

Nyssa wanted to hit herself. Was she already at the lovesick stage where she literally could not form a sentence when she was around the woman she loved?

“Yeah, I mean I figured out a while ago that the other trainers, well, they don’t stay with their trainees everyday like you do. They go out on missions every so often and let their trainees train on their own, but in all the time we’ve been training together, there has not been a single day where you were not with me from dawn to dusk. I figured you were being punished by your father for bringing me here. So I get why you don’t like me, but we were fine until last week and I just wanted to see if I could make things better.”

Nyssa was shook her head, trying to find the words that would reassure Sara without letting her know how Nyssa felt.

“I do not hate you or dislike you at all. In fact, I do enjoy your company. I am sorry that I have been distant this week, but there was something on my mind. I will try to be better. I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel unwanted.”

For Nyssa, a declaration such as this held a lot of weight, but Sara did not seem to read any special meaning into it. But she did sigh with relief and then looked up at Nyssa with concern.

“Something on your mind? Is it anything I can help with?”

Nyssa could not think of anything Sara could possible do to help her, but she was afraid that pushing her away now would result in Sara feeling rejected again. Also, Sara was looking up at Nyssa with such hopeful eyes, that Nyssa had to relent. She feared that she would do whatever this woman asked in a heartbeat.


	18. Happiness Is Not Something That Was Ever Meant For Me

Sara could not believe that she was having girl talk with Nyssa. It was the last thing that she had ever expected when she had gone to Nyssa’s room that night, but when she had asked if she could help, Nyssa had nodded and so they ended up sitting cross-legged on the bed facing each other.

“Uh, well, you see… There is a person, here in Nanda Parbat, who I have… um… I think of them very fondly.”

Sara squinted.

“You have feelings for him?”

“Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

Sara make a little squealing sound and clapped her hands together. It had been forever since she had done something like this. Yes, it felt a little strange doing it with Nyssa, but it did feel more like normal than anything she had done in a long time.

“Okay, tell me more,” Sara said, excitement brimming in her eyes.

“Well, I have known him for a bit longer than this, but something happened last week with him that made me realize my feelings for him.”

“Well??? Have you told him yet?”

“No!” Nyssa shouted and Sara flinched at little. Nyssa took a deep breath. “It is not that easy, you see. As Heir to the Demon, my beloved cannot be just anyone and putting her... him in that positing could be dangerous for him. I need time to figure things out before I do anything.”

Sara screwed up her face in a look of reproach. Okay, so what? Was she supposed to stay single for the rest of her life? Would her fear of her father keep her alone forever? Sara knew that the League could not be a good place for love but she also couldn’t imagine being alone forever.

“Okay, fine. Let’s say that I buy it. What? You’re just going to not tell him and be sad about it?”

Nyssa sighed.

“It is better than him being in danger because of me.”

Sara looked at her with a searching stare. She didn’t understand. There were still many traditions in Nanda Parbat that she did not get.

“I guess our worlds are really different. What’s he like?”

Nyssa smiled.

“He’s beautiful and brave. He is fierce when he fights, and never stops getting up when he is knocked down. He is eager to learn and does not despair or get impatient if it takes him longer than he expected. He has been through so much pain but is still able to smile. And when he laughs I feel like the world is beautiful.”

When Nyssa looked back at Sara, her face was filled with so much love and Sara tried to smile back at her but a knot was quickly forming in her stomach and in her throat.

“Well, he sounds like a great guy. I, uh, hope things work out between you.”

“There does not seem to be much chance of that happening for me.”

Sara reached out and grabbed Nyssa’s hand.

“Don’t despair. I'm sure that there is nothing that you can't figure out if you put your mind to it. Anyway, its really late and I should go,” she said.

Nyssa nodded and got up off the bed, holding the door open for her.

“Goodnight,” Sara said.

“Goodnight,” Nyssa replied silently sliding the door closed behind her as she walked out.

All the way to her room, Sara battled tears and it wasn’t until she sunk onto her bed and grabbed her pillow into her arms that she understood why. When Nyssa had said there was someone she was interested in, Sara had not exactly believed her. It was hard for her to picture Nyssa in love with anything other than martial arts. But when the other woman had started talking about the man she loved, her face had lit up and Sara had seen plainly that whoever this guy was, Nyssa loved him. With each word she said, Sara had felt the envy and the jealousy crawling in her stomach and up her throat.

At the time, she had not identified what the feeling was, being too engrossed in what Nyssa was saying, but as she made her way back to her room, it became clearer and clearer. She wished that the person Nyssa had been talking about was her. She wished that she could be whatever man Nyssa was talking about.

“I’m in love with her,” Sara whispered to her pillow and she felt the pain of losing someone before she’d even had them.


	19. So Innocent, So Genuine

For the next month, Nyssa and Sara’s friendship returned to what it had been. Nyssa was a lot more careful about how she hid her emotions, but it seemed that saying she was in love with someone else had done the job. Sara seemed to accept that, if Nyssa ever acted strangely it was due to a lovesick heart.

After that night, Sara attitude changed towards her as well. Nyssa suspected that their conversation had convinced Sara that Nyssa was not just a cold assassin, but also someone who she could be friends with. As such, she was a lot warmer and a lot more casual when around her.

Part of Nyssa worried that she would not take her or training as seriously if she did not see Nyssa as someone to be feared, but Sara’s focus did not waver. In fact, Nyssa felt that she was working harder than ever. Sara was doing drills with a new fierceness that actually worried Nyssa.

Every so often, while she was doing drills, a strange look of anger and frustration would slip onto Sara’s face. The first couple times she’d seen it, Nyssa had thought she was imagining it since the moment Sara turned to Nyssa, it disappeared, replaced with her usual sunny disposition. But, after a while, it became clear that something was bothering the young woman.

It became even more clear when Sara was sparring with the other trainees. Sara would fight viciously against them, as if she were fighting for her life, putting all of her energy and mind into each punch, kick, and swing of her sword. She was winning more now. Still not often but she was winning and this was largely due to the simple fury she fought with. Nyssa had mixed feelings of pride and worry when Sara’s opponent, whether they won or not, walked away with a slight look of fear in their eyes. They were learning that Sara, while small and generally cheerful, could also be a wildfire.

What could be causing Sara’s frustration and anger? Nyssa began to worry that Sara had reached her limit with the League and that she would be wanting to go home. Knowing how dangerous those feelings would be for her, Nyssa knew she had to talk to her.

After training one night, Nyssa pulled Sara aside before she went off to dinner.

“Are you alright Sara?” Nyssa asked.

When Sara looked at her with a bemused expression and for a second the genuineness and innocence in her expression almost made Nyssa forget everything that had made her worry in the first place.

“Yeah, of course I am. Why?” Sara asked.

“I have noticed of late that you seem frustrated,” Nyssa said.

For some reason, these words caused Sara to blush deeply.

“Frustrated? What? Uh, I’m not frustrated,” Sara said, much more flustered than Nyssa thought she had reason to be.

“I was just thinking that maybe you were finally feeling homesick,” Nyssa said.

Sara paused and then started to nod slowly.

“Yeah, homesick. I guess I am,” she said, “I mean, who wouldn’t be right? I do miss my family a lot.”

“Sara, you know that you cannot return,” Nyssa said sternly, hoping that Sara really understood how bad it would be for everyone involved if she were to go back.

Sara sighed and looked down at the floor.

“Yeah, I know, and don’t worry, I was not planning on leaving. But that doesn’t stop me from missing them.”

Nyssa smiled gently at Sara and reached out to her. Gently, feeling like she was holding glass or a small child, she tilted Sara’s face so that she was looking Nyssa in the eyes. For a second, they both just stood there. Nyssa watched Sara’s eyes darken and wondered if she was going to start crying but her eyes stayed dry.

“I understand, Sara, what it is like to miss a loved one. I know that there is nothing I can do to soothe you but if you ever need something from me, I will gladly give you anything.”

Sara reached up and took Nyssa’s hand into her own. It was a good thing she had, because Nyssa had been this close to losing all the control she had built up over the last month. In that moment, not pulling Sara into her arms seemed like the hardest thing she had ever done. Sara took a shaky breath.

“Thank you Nyssa. That’s very kind but I’m not sure there’s much you can do. It just gets hard to stay in here all day and not know what’s going on out there with my family and like with the world in general.”

Nyssa realized that neither of them had left the temple since Sara’s arrival. Now that she thought about it, she had to admit that she was also getting tired of being stuck within those walls. She wondered when was the last time she had been out in the sun.

“You know, we don’t have to stay within the temple all the time. There are fields around here and the mountains are beautiful. How about tomorrow we take a break from training and I can show you the mountains?”

Nyssa knew in an instant that she had made the right choice. Sara grinned up at her widely.

“That would be amazing,” Sara said.

“Well then, let us do it. I would say that you certainly have earned a day of rest.”

Sara just nodded, the bright smile on her face making Nyssa’s heart soar.

“Alright. Then I will see you tomorrow morning. Have a good night.”

“Goodnight,” Sara replied and she skipped off back to her room

Nyssa’s eyes followed her until she turned the corner.


	20. Only The Strong Survive

Nyssa’s hands were warm on Sara’s bare back. Sara could feel her strong arms holding her firmly but also surprisingly gently. Nyssa’s long, silky black hair was soft beneath Sara’s hands but she didn’t think there was anything in the world softer than Nyssa’s lips as they pressed against hers. When Nyssa’s tongue brushed against Sara’s lower lip, she did not hesitate to meet it with her own. She pressed herself against Nyssa as much as she could and sighed as Nyssa's hands slid up her back to her shoulders. Sara was starting to feel lightheaded and to give both of them a chance to breathe a little, Sara changed direction and started trailing kisses down to Nyssa’s neck.

Nyssa whispered her name and Sara could not help smiling but she did not stop.

“Sara,” Nyssa said a little more loudly.

“Sara,” Nyssa said, shaking her shoulder, trying to get her to wake up.

For a second Sara wondered why she was no longer kissing Nyssa and then sat up very quickly.

“Nyssa!” she shouted, making the other woman jump back a little.

“I’m sorry, Sara, I did not mean to startle you. We should be getting ready to leave though if we are going out today,” Nyssa said.

Sara shook her head to clear her thoughts.

“No, sorry. It’s fine. I was just having a dream. I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Nyssa looked at her with concern.

“A dream? Was it a nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?”

Sara shook her head. Nyssa did not need to know about that dream. She did not need to know that her trainee was lusting after her while she knew full well that Nyssa had someone else in her life. Also, regardless of who had been in it, discussing sex dreams with Nyssa would have been very strange.

“No, it wasn’t a nightmare, just a very vivid dream. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine,” Sara said, turning her face away as she felt it heating up.

“Okay, I will be waiting in the hall,” Nyssa said and she left the room.

Sara groaned and put her face into her hands. The dreams had been getting worse recently. They’d started out innocent enough, holding hands and stealing kisses in the training room, but as the last month had gone by, they had just gotten more vivid and detailed. There was no saying where that one would have gone had Nyssa not woken her.

“I need to get laid,” Sara thought, but at that moment, the thought of sleeping with anyone other than Nyssa didn’t feel right. And what were the chances of that happening?

With a sigh, Sara jumped off her bed to get dressed and met Nyssa in the hall. Only then did Sara realize that Nyssa was not wearing her usual armor. Instead, she had on a loose dark purple shirt over a pair of dark jeans and boots.

“Wow,” Sara said, “ If I’d known we were dressing up I would have worn my other, identical, training outfit.”

She had to admit, seeing Nyssa wearing other clothes made her a little envious. As comfortable as the training uniforms were, they were not very colorful or fashionable.

Nyssa laughed.

“Yes, I’m sorry that you have no other clothes. As a trainee you are supposed to let go of all your previous life, including clothes. Once you join the League you will be allowed to wear other outfits, if only to remain inconspicuous while on a job. Shall we be on our way?” Nyssa asked, gesturing down the hall.

Sara smiled and started to walk.

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. I like my black pajamas. They’re very cozy.”

Nyssa led Sara to a door, next to which there were a couple of small backpacks. Gesturing to the one on the left, Nyssa said, “That one is yours. The packs have food and water for us if we get hungry during the day. We should be back before dinner though.”

Nyssa also handed Sara a black jacket like the ones that the League members wore.

"You will want this," she said. Sara grabbed it and slipped it on. It was slightly too large but it was warm and comfortable.

"Thank you."

It was only just past dawn and there was no sun and as soon as they stepped out of the temple, Sara was hit by a gust of wind that despite the coat left her a little chilled. They started to walk on the path that led away from the building. The high cliffs on either side prevented Sara from seeing much other than the blue sky above them.

“Later in your training, once you have pledged yourself to the League, you will be taught how to control your body temperature, among other things. It will allow you to work comfortably in places where normally the heat or cold would hinder you.”

“Sounds like fun,” Sara said.

“Not really. To complete this training you will be lead to places of extreme cold and extreme heat and you will be forced to try to stay alive. It was my least favorite part of training.”

Sara snorted.

“I was being sarcastic, but thank you anyway for giving me that wonderful image of my future.”

“I am sure you will do fine,” Nyssa said with a smile.

They continued like this for the next half an hour, talking to one another until they reached the opening to the pass. As they stepped out around the mountains, Sara gasped. They were extremely high up and Sara could see below her beautiful mountains and valleys. Much farther towards the bottom, there were forests and rivers that she could barely make out but at their height there was mostly just smaller shrubs and wild grass. She turned and looked up and saw snow-tipped mountains. The sun was rising behind them and it had painted the tips of some of the mountains gold. She turned to Nyssa to tell her it was beautiful and found her looking at her with a strange expression. Sara realized that she had been spinning around like a child trying to take it all in and she forced herself to calm down and stand still.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

Nyssa nodded and smiled.

“Yes. When I was young, I used to sneak out of the temple and come out here just to sit and watch everything. It made me feel at peace to see everything like this. The mountains were so large and wide and tall and strong and they made me feel so small. But at the same time, they filled me with strength. It was like if I watched them for long enough I could be like them.”

Sara swallowed past the knot in her throat. Nyssa was no longer looking at her and instead at the mountains. Her face was softer than Sara had ever seen it and happier too. As the wind pushed Nyssa’s hair back and away from her face. Sara noticed that in the sun, Nyssa's dark brown hair seemed streaked with red. Sara was sure that she had never seen anything more beautiful.

“Anyway,” Nyssa said, breaking the spell, “There is a place about a six hour hike from here where we can sit and eat and have the most amazing view.”

“What are we waiting for?” Sara asked and started to follow Nyssa up another path to their left.

Sara wished she had known sooner that she could come out and that this beautiful world was there. She felt like she might never have trained if she had known, but having seen it now, she wondered how she had been able to stay in the temple for so long. As they walked, they passed small patches of wildflowers that decorated the side of the mountain. Sara turned to Nyssa who had been walking next to her.

“Tell me more about your childhood,” Sara said. She had realized that she knew nothing about the woman whom she had spent almost every waking hours of the last four months with.

Nyssa gave her a sidelong glance and sighed.

“There’s really not that much to tell,” Nyssa said. “I have been trained to fight for as long as I can remember. My father constantly put me in competition with everyone else. I had to be the best all the time or he would be disappointed and my father is not a man that you want to disappoint.”

Sara frowned.

“What about friends? Did you have many friends growing up?”

Nyssa let out a hollow laugh.

“No one wants to be friends with the daughter of the Demon. Everyone has always been afraid of me and my father. You are the first person who has not feared me in that way and that’s because you don’t know any better.”

“Must have been lonely,” Sara said.

“You cannot miss what you never had,” Nyssa said. “I grew up believing that it was normal to behavior. It was only years later when I went out on missions that I learned what the rest of the world was like. I saw children playing with their parents and with their friends and only then did I understand that what I had had with my father was not normal.”

Sara frowned.

“Do not look so sad Sara. It does not do good to mourn what cannot be changed.”

“I am sorry that you had to go through that. But I don’t think I’m sad. If you hadn’t been through all of that, you would not be the person you are today. And I really like that person.”

Nyssa looked at Sara and returned her bright smile. Sara’s heart ached as she wished she could tell Nyssa how she truly felt.


	21. Simple Pleasures

As Nyssa had predicted, they arrived at a wide meadow in after about six hours of walking with short stops to appreciate the view and drink water when necessary. The grass was long but there was a large rock in the middle that they could sit on to eat. They had spent the entire walk talking to each other about anything that came to mind. Sara had spoken a lot about her life before the crash, until it became too painful to talk about. Then, they spoke about music, books, and when they found they had nothing in common in those areas, food.

Nyssa had always thought that Sara was always cheerful, but during that hike, Sara had seemed happier than Nyssa had ever seen her before. It became clear to Nyssa that simply because Sara smiled it did not mean she was necessarily happy. The concept was strange to her but she supposed they were not that different. Nyssa hid her emotions behind perfectly controlled features, and Sara hid hers behind smiles and laughter.

They sat next to each other on the rock silently and just looked around. The sun was now high in the sky and it illuminated everything around them. It had warmed up enough that Sara had taken of her coat and was wearing it around her waist. Nyssa now knew that she had been missing out seeing Sara in the sunlight. While the torchlight that illuminated most of the halls of Nanda Parbat  could make her hair glow like fire, the sun make it sparkle like gold. It was all Nyssa could to not to run her fingers through the golden locks.

“Will you tell me what you were dreaming about this morning?” Nyssa asked casually, just so that they would have something to talk about.

Sara looked at her.

“It was nothing really. Just a fantasy. Something impossible that I wish would happen,” Sara said. Nyssa considered asking further, but she could tell that Sara did not want to talk about it.

“I don’t dream,” Nyssa said. “I can’t remember ever having a dream.”

Sara turned to look at her.

“That’s… I was about to say sad, but there are plenty of dreams that I wish I’d never had. Nightmares can be so much worse than real life. That said, sometimes having dreams helps you understand your subconscious better.”

Nyssa frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“Like the dream I had this morning. The thing that I wished for, I knew I wanted it, but whenever I dream about it, it’s like a reminder of how much I want it and why I want it. It can get really irritating to have to relive this thing that I’m never going to have, but it’s also a little nice to have a taste of it, no matter how unreal it is.”

They both fell silent.

“Nyssa?” Sara said after a few minutes.

“Yes?”

“What is it that you want?”

“Want for what?”

“Life, I guess. Is there anything that you don’t have right now that you want?”

You.

“I don’t know. The only thing I have ever strived for was to be Heir. I have that but I still have to fight for it.”

“So, it’s not a birthright thing?”

“No. I mean it helps. My father would prefer to have his own blood to be the next Head but it is not a requirement. He would also prefer to have a man be his Heir. A while back I heard that he was considering giving the title of Heir to one of his warriors who, I admit, was quite accomplished. I confronted my father about it and he said that he would only give the title to the strongest of the two of us. I fought him and won. My father was not pleased. He kept his promise, so I am still Heir, but I could tell that he wished that I had lost.”

Sara didn’t say anything. Nyssa understood. There wasn’t much one could say to a story like that. Sara reached forward and took Nyssa’s hand and held it in her own and smiled up at her comfortingly. Nyssa smiled back and squeezed Sara’s hand and the two just sat like that staring at the mountains and valleys in front of them.

But Nyssa could not concentrate on the views that had captivated her so much as a child. Sara’s hand was small in hers but it was so warm and soft and gentle. Nyssa never wanted to let go.


	22. I Wasn't With You Because You Saved Me

They’d been sitting there holding hands in silence for about an hour when Nyssa cautiously cleared her throat.

“If we want to be back before dark, we should probably start moving now,” she said.

“Right,” Sara said, moving to get up.

“Um,” Nyssa said, and looked pointedly at their intertwined fingers.

“Oh, right, sorry,” Sara said, letting go quickly. It had felt so natural that she had forgotten. As soon as she let go, her hand felt cold and empty, so she stuffed it into her pocket. “Lead the way.”

Nyssa stood and stretched her muscles. Her shirt slipped up a little and Sara knew immediately that the woman’s hard, chiseled stomach would most likely be making an appearance in her dreams that night.

The two women did not speak on the way back. Sara walked a step behind Nyssa so that she could watch her without interruption. Without the armor, Nyssa moved even more smoothly and gracefully. Her every step seemed deliberately placed. It was like she had perfect control over every nerve ending in her body.

“Another thing we do not have in common,” Sara thought as she tripped over a rock.

Nyssa looked back to make sure Sara was okay.

“I’m fine. Just clumsy,” Sara said.

“You should be more aware of your surroundings, Sara,” Nyssa said with a smile and turned back to face front.

Just as the sun was setting, the two women made it back to Nanda Parbat. Nyssa graciously walked Sara back to her room.

“Hey, Nyssa,” Sara said. “Thank you for today. It was nice to see all those places. It was all really gorgeous and it was nice to have a break from training. I had a lot of fun.”

Nyssa smiled back at Sara.

“I too had fun,” Nyssa said. “Maybe we will do this again sometime. In the future. Far in the future once you have trained more.”

Sara let out a little laugh.

“It’s a date,” she said without thinking.

Of course, Nyssa did not react. Why would she?

“Hey, Nyssa. That guy that you told me about, have things moved forward with him at all?”

Nyssa looked at Sara. She seemed to be thinking about something.

“Nothing has changed. I’m not sure it ever will. This love… any love for me… is not one that I can pursue.”

Sara looked down at the ground. Part of her was happy to hear that Nyssa was not going to go to this guy, but another part knew that if Nyssa did not go to this man who she loved, she would never be with Sara either.

“This makes you sad?” Nyssa asked.

God, if she was that easy to read, how did Nyssa not know that she was in love with her? It occurred to Sara that maybe she had already figured it out and was just too nice to say anything.

“The idea of anyone not finding someone that they could be with makes me sad,” Sara said. “If you love this guy and want to be with him, is it really worth hiding yourself away just because you think your father might disapprove?”

Nyssa smiled sadly.

“I told you already. My father is not the kind of person you want to disappoint. His disappointment and his anger can be deadly.”

“This guy… Do you know if he loves you back? Because if I were him and I loved you back, I wouldn’t care about your father. We’d work something out, I’m sure,” Sara said.

Nyssa looked at Sara in surprise.

“You might be right, Sara. But, I don’t believe that he loves me.”

The sadness on Nyssa’s face angered Sara. All of a sudden, all her thoughts of letting Nyssa be with this guy, whoever the hell he was, vanished. If he was not going to appreciate this beautiful woman, then he didn’t deserve her love. Sara stepped closer to Nyssa so that there was only a couple inches between them and looked into her eyes.

“He is an idiot if he can’t see how amazingly beautiful and strong you are. Only an idiot wouldn’t love you,” she whispered.

Despite her desire to make Nyssa her own, Sara knew that that was the closest she was going to get to a declaration of love in that instant. Nyssa looked back down at her and for a very long while they stood there at an impasse. Then, so quickly Sara wasn’t sure it actually happened, Nyssa kissed her on the lips and just walked away, leaving Sara standing in the hallway, not really sure of what had happened.


	23. I Was With You Because I Loved You

As soon as Nyssa rounded the corner of Sara’s hallway she started to run. She ran until she made it to her room. She slammed the door closed behind her and just stood in the middle of the room breathing hard.

What had she just done? Sara had been so close to her and she had called Nyssa beautiful and strong and the protective fierceness that had emanated from Sara’s words had made Nyssa fall in love with her again. She had felt herself moving forward to kiss Sara before she could think about it. She realized she had to stop and had pulled away only a half a second too late and then like a coward had tried to escape.

But for an instant their lips had touched. Nyssa closed her eyes, trying to remember what it had felt like. It had been so quick. Not enough time for Nyssa to really form an impression but enough to know that Sara’s lips were the softest she had ever kissed.

Slowly Nyssa grabbed her night clothes and made her way to the baths. There, she slowly undressed and allowed herself to sink into the hot water until she was entirely submerged and she simply floated there until she could no longer hold her breath. She came up momentarily for air and repeated the action.

What would Sara think of her now? Would she be disgusted? Would she be mad? She would probably be confused. After all, Nyssa had been talking about her “man” who was actually Sara, but Sara couldn’t know that. Just the thought of having to face Sara the next day for training made Nyssa wish she could override her body’s need for air and just float in the bath for the rest of eternity. Since she could not do that, she came up for air and finished washing off the dirt and sweat she had accumulated during her hike.

The bath helped her clear her mind. There was no use in worrying about what had already happened, Nyssa reasoned. Tomorrow, she would just go to training and apologize to Sara for stepping out of line. That was it. It would be clean and simple and they’d never have to talk about it again.

Despite this resolution, Nyssa did not sleep all night.

The next morning, she walked to the training room, arriving there just after Sara had. The dark circles under Sara’s eyes told Nyssa that she too had not slept much the night before. Had Nyssa’s kiss really bothered her that much?

“Good morning, Sara,” Nyssa said, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “I apologize for last night. I stepped out of line and left you quite abruptly. I am not sure what caused me to act the way I did, but I can assure you that it will never happen again.”

Without warning, Sara dropped and swiped Nyssa’s legs out from under her and was on her in a flash, pinning her hands above her head. Nyssa had not been expecting the attack from Sara and was also tired from her lack of sleep, but she was still impressed that the young woman had managed to floor her. She had come a long way from the scared, weak girl Nyssa had started training four months before. Nyssa could think of at least ten different ways of getting out of the hold without harming Sara and another fifteen if she decided not to be cautious but she allowed herself to stay pinned, curious as to what Sara would do next.

“Um, Sara, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Cut the crap Nyssa,” Sara snapped.

Nyssa wanted to ask what she meant.

“No, seriously, shut up and let me talk,” she said, cutting off the response that Nyssa had been about to give. Nyssa snapped her mouth shut.

“I am tired. I am tired of dancing around this. I am tired of keeping my emotions to myself. I am tired of hiding and I am tired because I did not sleep last night. Oh, Sara, what did you do all night if you didn’t sleep, you might ask? Well, Nyssa, I was thinking. Eight hours is a pretty long time to think, but in all that time I couldn’t figure it out. This guy that you are in love with, when do you see him? When did you fall in love with him? Why haven’t I seen him? We have spent almost every hour of every day together and I have not once seen you with another person. I am the only person that you have been with since we first met.”

Nyssa opened her mouth to protest.

“No!” Sara snapped. “Let me finish. So I was thinking about everything you’d told me about him and I remembered the way you first described him. Seemed to know him pretty well for someone you didn’t spend much time with.”

Nyssa squirmed uncomfortably. She was starting to debate whether or not she should use one of her escape methods to get away. But just as she thought it, Sara’s grip on her wrists loosened slightly. Her voice and her eyes both softened as she continued to speak.

“And then I remembered. You said that he had been through so much pain and was still able to smile. You said he was fierce when he fought and always stood back up. Nyssa, I’m not trying to sound vain or anything, but that kind of sounds like me. Or at least it sounds like the person I feel like I could be when you look at me.”

In a single move, Nyssa flipped Sara off of her and pushed her away. She stood up and turned her back to the girl.

“At least tell me if I’m right,” Sara said. Her voice was small and scared.

Nyssa could lie. She could laugh and say that it was all in her mind. She could tell her to stand up and start her drills and stop being ridiculous. She could tell Sara that she had a very vivid imagination and Nyssa was almost certain that she could do it in a way that Sara would completely believe her.

But she didn’t want to. Slowly she turned back to look at Sara. The blond girl was sitting on the floor where Nyssa had shoved her, looking tired and sad and confused. Nyssa walked over and held her hand out to help Sara back to her feet. When they were both standing, Nyssa put her hands gently on Sara's shoulders.

“Sara, you are not wrong, but that does not mean that I can—”

Before Nyssa could finish her sentence, Sara had thrown her arms around the taller woman’s neck and was kissing her soundly. Any protest that Nyssa had wanted to make died as she felt the smaller woman’s lips on hers. They were warm and soft and insistent. Nyssa let herself fall into the kiss and she wrapped her arms around Sara’s waist and pulled her close.

Too soon, Sara pulled away. Her eyes were shining and that smile that Nyssa loved so much was spread across her face wider than Nyssa had ever seen it. Nyssa couldn’t believe that she was the cause of it. Sara put her forehead against Nyssa’s and whispered the words that Nyssa never thought she’d hear from those lips.

“I love you.”


End file.
